Gackenbach, J.I., Rai, N. & Wagner, B. (2019, June). Emerging Implications of Virtual Reality Video Game Play on Dreams. Paper presented at the International Association for the Study of Dreams, Kerkrade, The Netherlands.

1. Emerging Implications of Virtual
Reality Video Game Play on Dreams
By: Jayne Gackenbach*
Neelinder Rai
Braden Wagner
*travel support from Athabasca University

2. Introduction: Presence
• Virtual reality (VR) is a computer simulated
environment that replicates the experience of
being present in another location (presence)
and it suggests that the user will have
sensations that result in the perception of
objects found there as equally present.

3. Introduction: Immersion
• How much one feels present in another
location depends on how well the VR
technology creates immersion.
– Immersion refers to the degree to which a virtual
environment submerges the perceptual systems
of the user in computer-generated stimuli.
– The more the system captivates the senses and
blocks out stimuli from the physical world, the
more the system is considered immersive, and
thus the users feel presence (Biocca, 1995).

4. Introduction: Dreams & GTP
• Dreams are mental experiences of our brain’s
activity while sleeping. Meaning an individual
enters a biologically created virtual reality while
dreaming, with a strong sense of presence felt.
• This may be similar to playing video games.
• Some transfer of gaming may happen to dreams
and increase with VR gaming.
• Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP): is a transfer of
certain characteristics from a game played into
waking or dreaming.

5. Introduction: Past Research
• Gackenbach and Rosie (2011) compared watching/playing
video games on a television versus watching/playing a
game wearing wide screen goggles.
– Dream incorporation was assessed by participant self-report
and judges’ evaluations. The independent variable of fidelity
was strong in subsequent self reports of dream incorporation.
• In other previous studies our lab looked at the relationship
between the immersion created by virtual reality headset
(oculus rift) and nighttime dreams, (Gackenbach, Anson,
Mosley, Sinyard, & Snyder, 2016; Boopalan & White, 2016).
– Level of presence felt was higher with using VR headset
– May have been an effect on memories of dreams
• the order of dream reports relative to game play affected the self
evaluation of the dream.
– the results were equivocal thus this replication and extension

6. Current Inquiry
• The dreams of those who experience VR
compared to those who do not but played the
same video game were examined.
• Hypotheses:
– Higher presence in laboratory using VR goggles
relative to playing the same game in 2D
– More impact on research participant’s post lab
dreams with VR condition
• Higher dream presence
• Higher lucid like dream mentation
• More game content incorporation

7. Methods
• Participants: The total
number of participants
included 85 males from
MacEwan University.
– Average age: 19 years old
– Age range: 17 – 33 years
Group/Order Prelab Dream
Reported Before
Gameplay
Prelab Dream
Reported After
Gameplay
VR 22 22
Control 20 21
• Prescreen:
Male
Motion sickness (low)
Horror and violence tolerance
(high)
Dream recall (moderate to high)
Game play history allowed to vary

8. Assignment to Conditions
Participants
Experimental
(VR Gameplay)
Control (2D
Gameplay)
Dream collected before
gameplay
Dream collected after
gameplay
Dream collected before
gameplay
Dream collected after
gameplay
Random assignment
Random assignment
Random assignment

9. Methods
Questionnaires:
– Demographics
– Video Game Play History Questionnaire
– Social Media Use History Questionnaire
– Telepresence Survey
– Game Transfer Phenomena Scale (GTP)
– Dream Presence

10. Methods
• PlayStation 4 Pro + PlayStation VR Headset

11. Methods
• Game: Resident Evil 7 –
Biohazard:
- Can be played traditionally (2D) and in VR (3D)
- Is a first-person shooter
- Incorporates elements of exploration, solving puzzles,
and surviving

12. Methods

13. Procedure
Answer demographic and pre-gameplay questionnaires
Before Gameplay Condition
–> Report Dream
After Gameplay Condition –
> Play game
Before Gameplay Condition
–> Play Game
After Gameplay Condition –
> Report Dream
Answer post-gameplay questionnaires
Report a post lab dream (between 1-7 days after lab session)

14. Methods
• Self Report Questionnaires on reported
dreams:
– Type of dream
– Emotions experienced during dream
– Presence felt during the dream

15. Methods
• Dreams Analysis:
– Threat Simulation (Revonsuo & Valli, 2000)
– Lucidity and Consciousness (Voss, 2012)
– Game Content Scale for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
• Developed for this study

16. Results
• Covariates:
– Video game play frequency
– Video game play length
– Use of gaming social media
– GTP (Game transfer phenomenon) on mental
processes

17. Manipulation Effectiveness
• No group difference in game performance
(deaths & health potions used)
• Observer’s coded: verbal and nonverbal
expressions 3 times during game play
– No difference in verbal expressions
– VR > Control in nonverbal expressions
• Thus VR > Control in observed sense of presence
• Respondents self report
– VR > Control in immersion

18. Dream Analysis
• Two dreams collected
– Prelab: Most recent dream prior to reporting to lab
– Postlab: Dream experienced between 24 hours and 7
days after lab experience
• Self report evaluations
– Dream type
– Emotions in dream
– Presence in dream
• Judges coding
– Lucidity type content
– Game related content
– Threat Simulation

19. Self Evaluations of Dreams
Lucid Dream
Before Lab Dream After Lab Dream
VR
Control

20. Self Evaluations of Dreams
• Control Dream
– Dream reported after game play > than ones
reported before game play
– Pronounced for VR
Before Game Play After Game Play
VR
Control

21. Self Evaluations of Dreams
• Self evaluations of dream as bad dream.
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
Prelab Postlab Prelab Postlab
Before Game After Game
VR Control
Self reported emotion sum scores showed no differences.

22. Self Evaluations of Dreams
• Game versus Dream Presence
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Game presence sum Lab dream presence sum Postlab dream presence sum
Mean VR Mean Control

23. Judges Coding: Lucid
• Voss Self report scale adapted for judges use
• Eight subscales derived from 28 items
• Realism, memory and negative emotions resulted in effects
– Realism:
VR
Control
Before Lab Dream After Lab Dream

24. Judges Coding: Lucid
• Memory
– Prelab dreams > Postlab dreams
• Negative Emotions
VR
Control
Before Lab Dream After Lab Dream

25. Judges Coding: Game Content
• Act Frequency
– Location
• Trailers, old buildings, tunnels, etc
– Person/Object/Things
• Spiders, zombies, weapons, etc
– Actions/Events
• Fire, chase, screams, etc
• Thematic Content (Likert-type scale)
– Startle, shooting, stabbing, threats, bleeding
– Correlations with Actions/events sum scores very few
significant

26. Judges Coding: Game Content
• Act frequency sum scores
– Post lab dream > prelab dream
• Location
• Person/object/thing
• Action/events
• Thematic Content
• Postlab dream > prelab dream

27. Thank You!